Proverbs 13:10

13:10 With pride ¹  comes only ²  contention,

but wisdom is with the well-advised. ³ 

Proverbs 27:4

27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming, ⁴ 

but who can stand before jealousy? ⁵ 

James 4:1-3

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ⁶  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ⁷  from your passions that battle inside you? ⁸  4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

[13:10]  ¹ sn The parallelism suggests pride here means contempt for the opinions of others. The wise listen to advice rather than argue out of stubborn pride.

[13:10]  ² tn The particle רַק (raq, “only”) modifies the noun “contention” – only contention can come from such a person.

[13:10]  ³ tn The Niphal of יָעַץ (ya’ats, “to advise; to counsel”) means “to consult together; to take counsel.” It means being well-advised, receiving advice or consultation (cf. NCV “those who take advice are wise”).

[27:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “fierceness of wrath and outpouring [= flood] of anger.” A number of English versions use “flood” here (e.g., NASB, NCV, NLT).

[27:4]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term translated “jealousy” here probably has the negative sense of “envy” rather than the positive sense of “zeal.” It is a raging emotion (like “anger” and “wrath,” this word has nuances of heat, intensity) that defies reason at times and can be destructive like a consuming fire (e.g., 6:32-35; Song 8:6-7). The rhetorical question is intended to affirm that no one can survive a jealous rage. (Whether one is the subject who is jealous or the object of the jealousy of someone else is not so clear.)

[4:1]  ⁶ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”